Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer lists some of the many reasons why the Browns eventually decided to trade troubled receiver Braylon Edwards.

I do it because my team is 0-4 with Edwards, whose 10 catches are actually one fewer than what Stuckey has with the Jets. I do it because when the Browns tried to deal Edwards around the draft, the highest pick they could receive was a third-rounder along with some journeymen veterans.

I do it because Edwards never wanted to play here — he was hoping to be the No. 2 pick in the 2005 draft to Miami. Instead, he went No. 3 to the Browns. And then he believed Browns fans soured on him because he played for Michigan — as if dropping more passes than any NFL receiver over the last two seasons had nothing to do with that discontent.

I do it because Edwards too often ran the wrong pass patterns, making his quarterbacks look bad by throwing to the wrong spots. And because Edwards spent much of Sunday’s 23-20 overtime loss to Cincinnati talking into the ear of quarterback Derek Anderson. He wanted the ball thrown in his direction when the coaches were calling plays to deliver the ball to rookie receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who was in the process of catching eight passes.

I do it because Edwards seemed far more upset about not catching a pass in a game for the first time in his five-year career then the team losing a game they could have won.

I do it knowing that some people won’t like the trade, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. For the Browns, Edwards has been durable in terms of playing on Sunday and practicing, but unreliable in so many other areas — and he is no longer worth the trouble to me or the Browns.

To read Pluto’s entire column, click here.

It’s always easier to say this after the fact, but Edwards should have never been a top 5 pick to begin with. Too many times while at Michigan he would let the ball get into his pads and not catch it with his hands. So his problems with drops aren’t surprising and when you factor in his lackluster work ethic, you get a guy who wastes a lot of natural athletic ability.

Pluto hit the nail on the head several times throughout his piece, but none more then when he writes that Edwards just didn’t want to be a Brown. He was disappointed from the start and his attitude only continued to sour as his play flat lined. With a fresh start, maybe he can turn his career around in New York.

The Newark Star-Ledger reports that Braylon Edwards wasn’t the person who threw the punch at Cleveland nightclub promoter Edward Givens in an incident that occurred early Monday morning.

Edwards appeared to reach a breaking point under the first-year Browns coach Eric Mangini. He has been fined several times by Mangini and is one of several players to have filed a grievance with the league over the fines handed down to players, according to someone with knowledge of the situation but who is not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

Also, there’s speculation that Edwards is the player who was fined $1,701 for drinking a bottle of water in his hotel room without paying for it.

As for the incident on Sunday, a member of Edwards’ entourage — not him — threw the punch, according to someone with knowledge of the situation but who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.

Okay, so who’s lying then? Givens said it was Edwards that specifically punched him. So unless it was a scrum and multiple punches were being thrown (which doesn’t sound like it was the case), then it would have been easy for Givens to single out Edwards as the puncher.

That means either someone is covering up for Edwards or Givens is lying for whatever reason. (Maybe to make Edwards look bad since he’s a friend of LeBron?)

Where are the Hardy Boys? We need a mystery solved…

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the NFL is investigating the actions of Browns receiver Braylon Edwards, who allegedly punched an entertainment promoter early Monday morning outside a nightclub.

First-offenders of the policy generally do not receive discipline until the legal process plays out. But Goodell has been strict in dealing with repeat offenders.

The question is whether Edwards is considered a repeat offender.

Last November, he was found guilty of driving 120 mph on Interstate 90 and was fined $150 and sentenced to 30 hours community service.

Goodell also is aware that Edwards was drinking with teammate Donte Stallworth the night of Stallworth’s tragic car accident in Miami Beach, which resulted in the death of pedestrian Mario Reyes. Edwards was not charged with anything. Goodell came down hard on Stallworth and suspended him for one year.

If Edwards were suspended, the Browns would have the opportunity to take a closer look at some of their young wideouts, namely rookie Mohamed Massaquoi, who had a breakout game against the Bengals on Sunday. Also, playmaker Joshua Cribbs would likely get more touches in the offense, so losing Braylon “Drops McGee” Edwards might not be a bad thing.

If Massaquoi and Cribbs step up, there’s zero chance the Browns re-sign Edwards this offseason when he becomes a free agent. Outside of one good season, he’s done nothing to warrant a long-term extension.

Maybe the Browns should see if LeBron is interested in playing the Z position in their offense.

After Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of his friends early Monday morning outside of a Cleveland nightclub, Cavs’ superstar LeBron James called the actions of the Browns receiver “childish.”

From ESPN.com:

James said Edwards punched Edward Givens, a friend of James’ and a promoter with a Cleveland marketing firm who was working outside the club around 2:30 a.m. ET.

“I’ve never crossed paths with Braylon before, but it seems like there’s a little jealousy going on with Braylon and me and my friends. I have no idea why,” James said. “I’ve never said anything to Braylon at all. But for him to do that is very childish. My friend is 130 pounds. Seriously. It’s like hitting one of my kids. It doesn’t make sense.”

James says he was home when the fight occurred, but got a call from Givens telling him about it at 7 a.m. Monday.

As I wrote earlier today when the news broke, this is incredibly bad timing for Edwards, who is seeking a new long-term contract. Why he would feel the need to strike anyone in the face is beyond me, but to do it when you’re trying to convince a team to pay you millions of dollars is just idiotic.

I wonder what fueled Edwards’ hatred of James. I know Braylon takes exception to LeBron not rooting for Cleveland teams, but I hardly think that’s the only reason why Edwards has decided to openly rip James in the past, not to mention punch his buddy in the face.

Considering Braylon is a Michigan guy, one would think that this isn’t a territorial issue. My guess is that Edwards is just flat out jealous that LeBron holds the key to Cleveland while Braylon has been one of the city’s whipping boys for several years now.

Gerardo Orlando of Cleveland Scores wonders if it’s time for the Browns to give up on Braylon following this incident and rookie Mohamed Massaquoi’s coming out party Sunday vs. Cincinnati.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Browns receiver Braylon Edwards has been accused of assaulting a man outside a Cleveland nightclub early Monday morning

Edward Givens said the incident took place outside of the View Night Club on 618 Prospect at about 2:30 a.m. Givens said he went to Lutheran Hospital this morning because he suffered a black eye and a cut. He said he also has a headache.

The suspect’s name on the police report is redacted. But multiple sources and the victim say the suspect is Edwards.

In an interview with Cleveland.com’s Starting Blocks blog this morning, Givens said:

“After the club closed, I was outside greeting and saying goodbye to people. Braylon comes up and started saying things, degrading me. He said if it wasn’t for LeBron or the Four Horsemen, I wouldn’t have what I have, nor would I be able to get girls. Everyone knows Braylon has a problem with LeBron. So I had to speak up for myself. The conversation started to escalate. As some of his teammates started to pull him back, he punched me. I have a black eye and a cut. I’m not a violent guy.

“As long as I’ve known Braylon, I’ve allowed him and his friends to come into our events free of charge. Whatever jealousy he has with LeBron, he felt he needed to take it out on me.”

Police officers then broke up another disturbance involving the suspect.

I’ll hold judgment until more details come out, but I will say that this is the last thing the Browns need after losing to the Bengals in overtime on Sunday to fall to 0-4.

This would also be the last thing Edwards needs seeing as how he’s seeking a new contract. One would think that players seeking multi-million dollar pay raises would lay low during the season, but some athletes continue to prove that they’re not the sharpest tools in the shed.

If Edwards was involved, he should consider himself fortunate if the incident blows over. But if the victim decides to press charges, then Edwards could have a hard time finding a suitor that will give him a long-term deal. Having the dropsies is one thing, punching a man in the face outside a nightclub during the season is quite another.

Another interesting storyline from this incident is Braylon’s supposed hatred for Lebron. Don’t forget that Edwards once ripped Lebron for being from Akron, yet he’s not a “Cleveland guy” and likes “everybody but from his hometown” when it comes to following sports teams.

Looks like Brayon has some hang ups about Lebron owning the city of Cleveland.

The Browns’ 23-20 overtime loss to instate rival Cincinnati on Sunday really summed up Eric Mangini’s start in Cleveland.

The Browns did the improbable in the fourth quarter by blocking an extra point following a Chad Ochocinco 2-yard touchdown pass to force overtime. Then they really did the improbable by allowing a gimpy Carson Palmer to scramble 15 yards in the extra period to set up Shayne Graham’s game-winning 31-yard field goal with four seconds remaining.

Did I mention that Palmer’s scramble was on fourth down? Had they stopped the Bengals on that play, Mangini and the Browns were looking at a tie at the very least, which certainly would have been better than suffering their fourth consecutive loss.

The good thing for Cleveland is that they fought hard after trailing Cincinnati 14-7 early in the first half. They also forced two key turnovers and the offense looked more efficient with Anderson under center than they did with Brady Quinn in previous weeks. Jerome Harrison rushed for 121 yards on 29 carries, while rookie receiver Mohamed Massaquoi caught eight passes for 148 yards.

But moral victories don’t really count when you’re 0-4. Mangini deserves time to build the roster he wants, but in the meantime he still needs to produce a victory or two because the Cleveland faithful has suffered enough. A win today would have given Mangini a little support.

Hell, a tie would have done the same thing.

Browns head coach Eric Mangini told reporters on Wednesday that Derek Anderson would replace Brady Quinn at quarterback and start this Sunday against the Bengals.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Mangini said “giving Derek the opportunity is something I think will help us offensively.” He said Anderson’s performance on third down Sunday in Baltimore — including 3-of-4 on a field goal drive — helped him clinch the job. He said he needs to improve on throwing interceptions, after throwing three in Baltimore.

Mangini had little choice. Quinn wasn’t moving the offense, looked uncomfortable in his decision-making and wasn’t giving his receivers a chance to run after the catch. While Anderson shouldn’t be expected to fix what ails the Browns, he does have a stronger arm, will test defenses vertically and did move the ball more efficiently than Quinn last week against the Ravens. (Granted, Anderson also threw three interceptions against Baltimore.)

Cleveland’s defense has played well enough to keep the Browns competitive, but the offense has been stagnant and while Quinn isn’t the only one to blame, the quarterback is always the first one to be replaced when a team is losing. If Quinn had showed any signs that he was progressing as a passer, then maybe Mangini would have given the young QB more time. But he wasn’t, and thus it’s time to give Anderson a shot to lead the offense again.

Mangini needs this move to pay off or else he’s going to start losing the locker room (if he hasn’t already). He got off to a rough start with players like Shaun Rodgers when he was hired, and hasn’t endeared himself to others with his crass attitude and Bill Belichick-like demeanor. It may be too early to suggest that he’s on the hot seat, but if he doesn’t get a win soon he’s going to have a mess on his hands.

Joe Posnanski of SI.com says it’s not fan hyperbole to suggest that the Cleveland Browns made the worst coaching hire of the last 25 years in Eric Mangini.

But here’s the thing: Based on the Twitter responses I’ve seen … I’m actually starting to believe that I’m right. I’m actually starting to believe that Mangini really was the worst head coach hire in 25 years. The responses have mostly been to list other coaches who were worse hires than Mangini. But you know what? I don’t think any of those hires WERE worse than Mangini. Remember:

1. Mangini had just been fired in New York, where he had done a terrible job. He had a losing record. His team had collapsed down the stretch, he had alienated his players, he was a pain in the neck to deal with. Point is: He’d already PROVEN how much damage he could do as a coach.

2. He came right out of the school of Bill Belichick … and that didn’t work THE FIRST TIME in Cleveland. It seems to me that Cleveland is a working-class town and Browns fans want a working-class coach — not some pompous know-it-all who doesn’t feel like he should have to explain to the commoners what he’s doing.

3. What had he ever done to convince anyone he could be a head coach in the first place? Why, because he was a defensive coordinator for the Patriots under Belichick for one season? The Browns had JUST HIRED Romeo Crennel, who was ALSO defensive coordinator under Belichick. Attention Cleveland Browns owners, here’s a good hint: BILL BELICHICK IS HIS OWN DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR.

4. Basically the first thing Mangini did — first thing — was have them tear down a mural of great Cleveland Browns players on the wall in the Browns offices. Now, there are differing opinions about what really happened, whose fault it really was, does it all matter, etc. You know what? The Cleveland Browns have never been to a Super Bowl. Never. Not one. But Browns fans still have a whole lot of pride. Browns fans grow up on a glorious history. If you allow something stupid like that to happen on your watch … just a horrendous hire.

Posnanski continues by diving into some other bad coaching hires, although he dismisses each one by saying they were still better than the Browns’ hiring of Mangini.

It’s hard to argue with Posnanski based on how Mangini’s tenure in Cleveland has started. But the only problem I have with his argument is that any coach that has worked under Belichick is going to be sought after to some degree, even if that coach failed in his previous job. And let’s not forget that Mangini won his first year in New York, which made him enticing to employers.

That said, if the Browns continue to lose the way they have in the first couple weeks, it will be hard to justify why they took a chance on Mangini in the offseason. People in Cleveland are going to grow tired of his act, just as the fans in New York did.